Nick's Mask
by I Am Wolfie
Summary: What happens if everything you thought you knew about yourself was suddenly flipped upside down? Nick is having trouble realizing his true self. This story is heavily inspired by Canine Love by: AndrewJohnston7.


It was a cold and stormy night in Zootopia. Mammals of all species were rushing to get home before the storm caught up with them, but for a certain fox, he hadn't quite cared in the slightest; No amount of bad weather made him lose focus on the pain he felt in his heart. He was soaked to the bone in the now heavy rainfall, but he felt nothing externally, only the void of despair that took his heart's place. What was done was done, he shared his emotions with the one he fell in love with, and now he felt like he's paying the price for opening up.

"Never let them see that they get to you." the fox repeated to himself over and over again, it was almost like insanity has crept upon him. Every time he repeated that statement, his breathe created condensation in the chilly, yet humid air. Water droplets had started to trickle off the front of his muzzle when he opened it. The words he muttered, the words he went by for as long as he could remember. And now that he had slipped up, he couldn't face anyone, especially not _him_.

"Why did I have to do it." the canine asked himself, lightly touching his lips. He looked up at the cloudy night sky so that raindrops would start hitting his face while he sobs to himself, therefore covering his sorrow. He pushed his back against a brick wall, only to slide down and form himself into a ball so that no-one else could see him in such a miserable state.

Not at even a moment's notice, the fox's ears perked up at the sound of one pair of pawsteps walking towards him. He automatically knew something was wrong when the sound had gotten closer and closer, then it just stopped. The only readable soundwaves coming through the canine's sensitive ears was the heavy rainfall and panting, but it wasn't our fox friend making that sound. No, it was way more husky, sounding of a larger mammal.

The fox couldn't help but take a peek, but what he saw made his heart sink even farther than it already had. It was a large, furry figure that was covered by the shadows. Its physique was that of a male, a little shorter than your average wolf, but still had all the features of one.

"I'm sorry." the figure said ."What I did back there was unforgivable, and I promise that I'll never hurt you again."

The fox was left wide-eyed at a lack for words. Every time he made a desperate to speak, his muzzle failed him.

"I'm so… s-so sorry Nick." he barely sobbed out as his paws grabbed the smaller mammal.

The wolf stared into the now glowing emerald eyes of Nick. He pulled the fox into a tight hug, to assure him that he was there now, and nothing would separate the two.

* * *

Nick's eyes shot wide open at the sudden intimacy that he witnessed in his dream. He smiled at the thought, but he knew it was only a dream.

"Man, who was that anyway? He was so strong yet had a comforting aura about him." He thought about him for a few minutes, but he eventually gave up on the thought.

The room that the fox sat in was almost pitch black; The only available light is from his alarm clock that read '5:34'. His mouth was agape at how early his lazy butt woke up. Nick Wilde: the king of sleeping, has awoken before the sun has risen. He felt proud of himself, but only because he could go brag about it to a certain bunny.

Nick was gleaming at the idea in his head until a scent had hit his nose; He sniffed the air and then realized what it was: fox musk. He slowly lifted up the blanket and gave a disappointed stare at himself. Some could say that his dream was _giving him the hots_.

"Are you serious? It was just a dream for God's sake!" Nick yelled at himself while pinching his temples.

He decided that he had enough of this, so he threw the blanket off of himself, exposing him to the freezing air in his apartment, and headed to the restroom to take a shower.

Nick closed the door behind him and completely turned the knob that was shaded red. The mirror in the room had already begun to fog up which indicated that it was time to hop in.

After a few minutes, the fox had turned the shower head off and got out. Nick had gotten on all fours and started to shake out most of the water that was on his fur. He grabbed the towel that was hanging from a small metal bar on the wall, then wrapped it around his slender yet well-built body.

Nick wiped the mirror of condensation to get a good look at himself; He put on his signature smug expression: a wide smile that was accompanied by a half-eyed stare. "You sure are looking as handsome as ever Nicholas Wilde." The fox told himself while his hands formed in the shape of a gun, pointing it at his reflection.

Closing the door behind him, he took a look at his alarm clock that read '6:16'. His heart had skipped a beat as he only had fourteen minutes to get his naked hide to the briefing before buffalo butt chews him a new one.

Wasting no time, Nick threw his towel on the floor and rushed to get his uniform on. He threw on a black t-shirt that hugged his torso perfectly, boxers with his favorite Hawaiian pattern on it, his ZPD uniform, and lastly he pinned his police badge through the uniform's fabric on the left side of his chest.

Taking a look at himself in the mirror, he noticed that his clothes were all wrinkly, but that's not what got under his fur; What he was annoyed at was the fact that his fur was a mess, it looked as if he'd just gotten out of bed. Nick knew that he'd have to brush his exposed fur while making his way to the ZPD.

Nick grabbed his keys and phone and shoved the items in his pocket while slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The fox's heart was beating a million times a second, but this didn't stop him from running. He was drained, and his whole body was aching in pain. But that all washed away when he saw the ZPD approaching at lightning speed.

Nick burst through the front door of the ZPD. He zoomed pass Clawhauser, who was going to greet the red fox, but he wasn't quick enough for Nick's supercanine speed. The cheetah just decided it was best to shrug it off and went back to eating his second box of doughnuts.

Nick let out a sigh of relief as he checked his watch. He had made it there just in time; This meant no getting yelled at in front of all the other officers, and no extra paperwork on after hours. That's right, just another kickback day as a ZPD officer.

The door creaked open as ZPD officer: Nick Wilde walked in. He scanned the room and saw that everyone was here, being their usual, reckless selves, everyone except for Judy Hopps. A disappointed sigh escaped the canine's muzzle, remembering when they were going to be partners, but it never ended up happening.

The fox walked to his seat that was located in the front row of the room and sat down. He couldn't help but glance at the bunny's spot in the room. Although it was saddening that he and Judy never became official partners, he was instead paired with officer Wolford; He had been a lone wolf ever since he had joined the force, so Bogo decided he would pair him with Nick. Lucky, they have yet to disappoint Bogo on his decision.

Wolford was a brilliant timber wolf in Nick's eyes. He had the intellect, speed, and strength to take down almost any criminal that opposed him. The mixture of creamy-white and gray fur looked very well with his overall appearance. Nick was almost jealous of him; Such a good-looking wolf is guaranteed to have at least a girlfriend.

Nick's train of thought was wrecked by the sudden silence that had hit the room. He already knew it was because the chief had entered the room. Nick put his head up to show some form of respect to Bogo and just listened out for his and Wolford's orders for the day **.**

* * *

 **That's all for this starter chapter. Let me know what you think and I'll have the next chapter as soon as I can.**


End file.
